This invention relates to a protective garment (girdle) designed to protect an athlete's legs, hip, and tailbone from impact forces incurred during sports activities, such as football, rugby, skiing, ice hockey, and other extreme sports.
Football girdles are long shorts worn under pants that fit snugly (compress) against the body and have a plurality of slots designed to receive pads (either removable or permanent pads) in order to protect the athlete in the event of an impact force acting thereon. These pads are typically located at the hips, tailbone, and thighs. Examples of protective sport garments are disclosed in the following U.S. Patents: U.S. Pat. No. 759,833 (padded garment comprising a trouser having a plurality of pads permanently secured to the trouser with stitching to the outer surface of its body and legs); U.S. Pat. No. 4,035,844 (trouser undergarment made of stretchable material having pockets at the knees and thighs designed to receive removable padding, e.g., pockets stitched with the top open portion); U.S. Pat. No. 7,389,547 (garment having protective shields attached to the legs with releasable hook/loop fastener that allows the position of the shields on the legs to be adjusted and the shields to be removed from the legs).
The objects and advantages of the invention are embodied in the following description in connection with the accompanying drawings of a preferred embodiment of the protective garment.